Session Registrant Database for Network Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
1:1 active-to-standby redundancy mechanisms in service provider systems can be inefficient in maintaining connectivity, as they may not effectively handle failures and do not allow for flexible redundancy ratios, leading to potential service disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A session registrant database is configured to manage virtual standby and active states, enabling flexible redundancy ratios by transferring session information from a failed router to a standby router, allowing seamless transition and maintaining connectivity without disrupting service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If 1:1 active-to-standby redundancy mechanisms are used, then reliability is improved through standby router takeover, but device complexity increases and flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple standby routers into a shared standby pool that can serve multiple active routers. Instead of dedicating one standby router to each active router (1:1), the standby routers are combined into a common resource pool (M:N) that dynamically serves any failed active router, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Standby routers in the patent are designed with multi-functionality, capable of taking over for any failed active router regardless of which specific active router fails. This universal standby capability allows a single standby router to serve multiple active routers simultaneously, eliminating the need for dedicated 1:1 pairings and reducing device complexity.
2Reliability
If 1:1 active-to-standby redundancy mechanisms are used, then connectivity is maintained through failover, but adaptability is reduced due to fixed redundancy ratios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic redundancy ratios where M active routers can share N standby routers, and these ratios can be adjusted based on system needs. The configuration allows flexible scaling where the number of active and standby routers can be independently configured, enabling the system to adapt to different failure scenarios and resource availability without being locked into fixed 1:1 pairings.
3Reliability
If session information is transferred from failed router to standby router, then connectivity is maintained seamlessly, but loss of time occurs during the transfer process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing session information synchronization between active and standby routers before failures occur. Session information is continuously updated and replicated to standby routers in advance, so when a failure occurs, the standby router already possesses the necessary session data to immediately take over without requiring time-consuming information transfer during the failover event.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, providing network redundancy includes configuring a session registrant database to have one or more virtual standby states. Each virtual standby state corresponds to an active router. The session registrant database receives session information from the active router(s) and determines that an active router has failed. A virtual standby state corresponding to the failed router is set to a virtual active state. A second router is configured to have a standby state associated with the set virtual active state. The session information received from the failed router is transferred to the second router, and the second router is configured to have an active state.